Eating and drinking Christ is the central thought in God’s economy. This central thought of eating and drinking is not only in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament. The concept of eating and drinking starts at the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis and continues until the end of the Bible in Revelation. In God’s economy God does not present Himself to us as a kind of religion, but He presents Himself to us as food and drink. If we realize the proper significance of the verses in the Scripture reading, we will see that eating and drinking is the central thought in the New Testament.
In Matthew 22 the Lord Jesus likened the gospel of God to a marriage or wedding feast, a great supper, prepared by a king for his son (vv. 1-14). Thus, the gospel is a matter of enjoyment by eating and drinking.
In Luke 14:16-17 the Lord Jesus again likens the gospel to a great dinner. God, as the certain man, sent His slave to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for it is now ready” (v. 17). God has prepared His full salvation as a great dinner. We come not to learn teachings but to enjoy by eating and drinking. When we were saved, we started the enjoyment of eating. After we are saved, the Lord always sets a feast before us.
When I was saved, although no one told me, I did have the sense that something within me was just for my enjoyment. It was so nourishing, so refreshing, so watering. I was so happy in spirit. But soon after my initial experience, I was turned to care only for teachings. I became filled with teachings, but within I was empty. Christianity is a religion full of teachings, but the Lord’s desire is to recover His gospel as a real feast. The gospel is a feast where all things are ready, and we simply come to eat, drink, and enjoy.
The central concept of the New Testament is eating and drinking Christ in order that we may feast on Christ. In Luke 15, when the prodigal son returned, the father told his slaves to put the best robe on him, a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet (v. 22). For his body there was the robe, for his hand the ring, and for his feet the sandals. These items signify the Father’s outward justification through Christ. This outward clothing, however, was not sufficient to meet the son’s need since he was starving. He needed food within him. His father first adorned him to make him worthy, thus qualifying him to enter the father’s house and feast with the father. After the outward adornment, the father told his slaves, “Bring the fattened calf; slaughter it, and let us eat and be merry” (Luke 15:23).
We need not only the outward adorning but also the inward filling. The robe, the ring, and the sandals are the outward side, the side of justification by the blood of Christ. In the observance of the Passover, the blood covered the house (Exo. 12:7). Under the covering of the blood, the people enjoyed the meat of the lamb (v. 8). Likewise, under the covering of the robe, the prodigal son enjoyed the slaughtered, fattened calf with his father. This is the inward side which signifies the inward enjoyment of Christ as our life supply. Christ is the robe, and Christ is also the fattened calf. Christ is for our outward covering, and Christ is also for our inward filling. We should enjoy Him as the fattened calf day by day. In the Father’s house we have a feast, a table.
Before the prodigal son came back, he prepared himself to be treated as a slave, laboring day by day for his father (Luke 15:19). But his father did not want his son to labor for him but to feast with him. When we come to the local church, we must drop the thought of coming to labor. We come to the Father’s house, the local church, for feasting. In the Father’s house there is a table waiting for us to come and feast. Just come to eat and be merry (Luke 15:23). The Lord Jesus will be satisfied, the Father will be happy, and we will be filled. We all need such a feast.
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